Sliver can transport carriage and method for automatic sliver can exchange operations

Abstract

A method for automatic silver can exchange operations includes the transport of full sliver cans on a sliver can transport carriage to and between the spinning stations of a textile spinning machine and is particularly suitable for the exchange of sliver cans at spinning stations of the type having a back row position for supporting a sliver can and a front row position for supporting another sliver can. In a situation in which sliver is still being drawn from the frontmost sliver can while the backmost sliver can is empty, the method includes the step of initially transferring the running sliver can to the transport carriage, positioning a can support on the transport carriage for receipt of the empty backmost sliver can, and transfer of the empty backmost sliver can. Thereafter, the method includes the step of indexing movement of a full sliver can on the transport carriage to position the can for subsequent transfer to the back row position of the spinning station. Following transfer of the full sliver can from the transport carriage to the back row position of the spinning station, the running sliver can is returned to the front row position of the spinning station. An apparatus for use in practicing the method includes a can transport carriage having a rotating turntable with a plurality of equally angularly spaced can supports thereon.

I claim: 
     
       1. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans to the spinning stations of a textile spinning machine for exchange of full sliver cans for empty sliver cans at the spinning stations, the textile spinning machine having a longitudinal edge along which the spinning stations are serially located and the spinning stations each having a back row position for supporting a sliver can and a front row position for supporting another sliver can laterally intermediate the back row position of the spinning station and the longitudinal edge of the textile spinning machine, the spinning machine being operational to draw sliver simultaneously from a can at the front row position and a can at the back row position into two adjacent spinning stations, apparatus comprising: a can transport carriage movable in a direction of travel to and between the spinning stations, the can transport carriage including means forming a plurality of can supports, each for supporting a nonrunning sliver can from which no sliver is being drawn thereon, means for indexing movement of at least some of the can supports with respect to the carriage to sequentially position each indexed can support at a can transfer location with respect to the carriage at which can transfer location a can is transferred between the can support and the textile spinning machine during a can exchange operation, means for supporting a running sliver can from which sliver continues to be drawn at a running sliver can location, said running sliver can support means being separate from said indexing means and said nonrunning can supports, means for transferring a sliver can from at least a selected one of the front and back row positions at a spinning station to the can transfer location on the can transport carriage, and means for transferring a running can from the can transfer location to said running can location on said running can support, said running can support being operable to support a running sliver can transferred to the transport carriage for the continuous drawing of sliver from the running sliver can during indexing of cans on said carriage and during a can exchange operation in which a full sliver can supported on the can transport carriage is transferred to a spinning station.   
     
     
       2. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 1 wherein the can supports forming means includes means forming three can supports at equal angular spacings of 120° from one another relative to an axis transverse to the direction of travel of the can transport carriage and its lateral extent and the indexing movement means includes means for rotating the three equally angularly spaced can supports about the axis. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 1 wherein the running can support is disposed beyond the other can supports relative to the direction of travel of the can transport carriage. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 3 wherein the can supports forming means includes means forming three can supports at equal angular spacings of 120° from one another relative to an axis transverse to the direction of travel of the can transport carriage and its lateral extent, the indexing movement means includes means for rotating the equally angularly spaced three can supports about the axis to sequentially position each of the three can supports at the can transfer location, a standby location, and a ready location from which the respective can support thereat is indexed into the can transfer location, and the can transfer location and the ready location are arranged such that two sliver cans supported at these two locations and a running can supported at the running can support are substantially aligned with one another in the direction of travel of the can transport carriage. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 3 and further comprising a can manipulating assembly having a selectively extendable and retractable frame and a pair of gripping elements mounted to the frame for gripping a sliver can, at least one of the gripping elements being movable between a can gripping position in which it cooperates with the other gripping element to grip a sliver can and a can release position in which it cooperates with the other gripping element to release a gripped sliver can, the frame being extendable in a direction generally transverse to the direction of travel of the can transport carriage to position the gripping elements laterally outwardly of one side of the transport carriage for selective release or gripping of a sliver can. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 5 wherein the can manipulating assembly includes means for extending the frame laterally outwardly of the transport carriage on a side thereof opposite the one side for selectively gripping of a sliver can by the gripping elements supported at a sliver can loading location or releasing a sliver can onto the sliver can loading location and for retraction of the frame to a position in which the gripping elements are operable to selectively grip a sliver can supported on a can support or release a sliver can onto a can support. 
     
     
       7. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 1 and further comprising a can manipulating assembly having a selectively extendable and retractable frame and a pair of gripping elements mounted to the frame for gripping a sliver can, at least one of the gripping elements being movable between a can gripping position in which it cooperates with the other gripping element to grip a sliver can and a can release position in which it cooperates with the other gripping element to release a gripped sliver can, the frame being extendable in a direction generally transverse to the direction of travel of the can transport carriage to position the gripping elements laterally outwardly of one side of the transport carriage for selective release or gripping of a sliver can. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 7 wherein each sliver can includes an upper circumferential bead of a greater radius than the body of the sliver can and the can manipulating assembly includes means for moving the ends of the gripping elements to respective circumferentially spaced positions radially inwardly of and below the upper bead of a sliver can and for raising the gripping elements to thereby lift the sliver can. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 7 wherein the can manipulating assembly is movable between a spinning station and the sliver can loading location. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 9 wherein the can manipulating assembly includes means for extending the frame laterally outwardly of the transport carriage on one side thereof to grip or release a sliver can at one of the back and front row positions of a spinning station and to extend the frame to the opposite lateral side of the transport carriage to grip or release a sliver can supported at a sliver can loading location. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 1 wherein the can transport carriage includes an assembly for shifting a sliver can between the running can support and the respective can support at the can transfer location. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 9 wherein the can transport carriage includes means for guiding sliver being drawn from a running sliver can supported at the running can support, the guiding means guiding the sliver to travel in a predetermined path between the can transport carriage and the spinning station. 
     
     
       13. Apparatus for transporting full sliver cans according to claim 1 wherein the can transport carriage includes a centerline, the can transfer location is located to one lateral side of the centerline and the running can support is located laterally of the centerline to the same lateral side as the can transfer location. 
     
     
       14. Method of exchanging a sliver can at a spinning station of a textile spinning machine for a full sliver can transported to the spinning station by a sliver can transport carriage, the sliver can transport carriage traveling longitudinally along the one longitudinal edge of the textile spinning machine and the spinning station including a back row position for supporting a first sliver can from which sliver is drawn and a front row position for supporting a second sliver can from which sliver is drawn simultaneously with sliver drawn from the first can, the second can being disposed laterally intermediate the back row position and the longitudinal edge of the textile machine comprising: providing the transport carriage with a plurality of can supports, means for indexing movement of at least some of the can supports with respect to the carriage and a running can support separate from said indexed can supports;   transferring a running sliver can from the front row position of the spinning station to said running can support without interruption of the drawing of sliver therefrom;   transferring a sliver can from the back row position of the spinning station to the sliver can transport carriage;   transferring a full sliver can from the sliver can transport carriage to the back row position of the spinning station; and   returning the running sliver can transferred from the front row position to the front row position.